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re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

Originally Posted by MaggieD

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think it's a good thing that the morning-after pill is readily available. On the other, I think giving 15-year-olds access to this medication without their parents' knowledge isn't the right thing to do. Damned if you do...damned if you don't.

I don't support giving parents that authority. My own parents were pro-life and I'm pro-choice. I wasn't sexually active as a teenager, but if I was and needed my parents' permission to get the morning after pill, I can guarantee you they'd say no. Same goes for an abortion. Besides which, my parents finding out I had pre-marital sex would lead to great shame and potential disownment. My reproductive status is none of their business.

If they're mature enough to be having sex and maybe get pregnant, then they're mature enough to use the morning after pill.

My only concern is the lack of research about this pill for girls at age 15. But the FDA has been wreckless in recent years, so they'll just let the public experiment until something goes wrong and then modify the drug policy, as usual.

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

Originally Posted by Northern Light

I don't support giving parents that authority. My own parents were pro-life and I'm pro-choice. I wasn't sexually active as a teenager, but if I was and needed my parents' permission to get the morning after pill, I can guarantee you they'd say no. Same goes for an abortion. Besides which, my parents finding out I had pre-marital sex would lead to great shame and potential disownment. My reproductive status is none of their business.

If they're mature enough to be having sex and maybe get pregnant, then they're mature enough to use the morning after pill.

My only concern is the lack of research about this pill for girls at age 15. But the FDA has been wreckless in recent years, so they'll just let the public experiment until something goes wrong and then modify the drug policy, as usual.

There is plenty of evidence that it is safe for young women. It's been available to teens in Europe for years. No problems found.

Originally Posted by Mycroft

I don't have any issue with any investigation.

Originally Posted by jaeger19

the vast majority of folks that need healthcare are on Medicare.. both rich and poor..

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

Originally Posted by Northern Light

I don't support giving parents that authority. My own parents were pro-life and I'm pro-choice. I wasn't sexually active as a teenager, but if I was and needed my parents' permission to get the morning after pill, I can guarantee you they'd say no. Same goes for an abortion. Besides which, my parents finding out I had pre-marital sex would lead to great shame and potential disownment. My reproductive status is none of their business.

If they're mature enough to be having sex and maybe get pregnant, then they're mature enough to use the morning after pill.

My only concern is the lack of research about this pill for girls at age 15. But the FDA has been wreckless in recent years, so they'll just let the public experiment until something goes wrong and then modify the drug policy, as usual.

If only we could license parents. I sure do understand what you're saying.

I'm coming from the position that my 15-year-old daughter is still under my control and is completely and totally my responsibility unless or until she becomes emancipated.

I guess I'd like to be able to talk to her about her decision -- and the decisions that led up to her being in that particular position -- rather than have it all happen behind my back.

I do understand where you're coming from, though, which is why I'm torn.

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

Originally Posted by sangha

There is plenty of evidence that it is safe for young women. It's been available to teens in Europe for years. No problems found.

Yeah, I wouldn't be particularly concerned about the morning-after pill. Actually, I think women probably have much more to worry about re consistent use of birth control pills. Many side effects there.

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

I'm coming from the position that my 15-year-old daughter is still under my control and is completely and totally my responsibility unless or until she becomes emancipated.

I guess I'd like to be able to talk to her about her decision -- and the decisions that led up to her being in that particular position -- rather than have it all happen behind my back.

All well said. My son is 15, daughter 13, and I'd like to think we have been pretty open, so they'd come to us first. But either way, the decision sort of fly's in the face of parents in many ways. Hell, if they don't go to school at 15 the parent is held responsible. I know that some, maybe many, kids 'do it' at that age, but the mental capacity to understand the risks and potential outcomes is not fully there, I don't care what any 'doctor' says to the contrary.

"nah i think the way cons want to turn this into a political issue is funny though" - Philly Boss

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

If only we could license parents. I sure do understand what you're saying.

I'm coming from the position that my 15-year-old daughter is still under my control and is completely and totally my responsibility unless or until she becomes emancipated.

I guess I'd like to be able to talk to her about her decision -- and the decisions that led up to her being in that particular position -- rather than have it all happen behind my back.

I do understand where you're coming from, though, which is why I'm torn.

I get it, I really do. We want what's best for our children. We see them as precious and vulnerable. But as teenagers they tend to see themselves as invincible, and want to test the waters of independence.

My issue is this. We don't really have totally control over our kids once they reach a certain age. I mean, on paper we do. But they're going to do things against our will. One of those things could be having sex and maybe getting pregnant. If a young woman has to wait for her mother's permission to get the morning after pill, the fertilized egg could implant and then it will be abortion territory.

If a 15 year old even has the wisdom to know she should seek the morning after pill, then she would spare her parents a lot of agony by quietly dealing with. If she needs an abortion then she would definitely need parental permission, and that's when the can of worms really gets opened, whether her parents say yes or not.

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

All of my kids are over 18 now. My gut reply is when my kid were under 18 I made ALL the decisions. Abortion is a BIG decision.

On the other hand, I know a lot of parents would not go out of their way to do the right thing for a 15 year old kid and might be more bent on punishment. I guess I really believe kids should not be able to buy any pills without parents approval.

re: Drug Agency Lowers Age For Next-Day Birth Control [W:297]

Originally Posted by Northern Light

I don't support giving parents that authority. My own parents were pro-life and I'm pro-choice. I wasn't sexually active as a teenager, but if I was and needed my parents' permission to get the morning after pill, I can guarantee you they'd say no. Same goes for an abortion. Besides which, my parents finding out I had pre-marital sex would lead to great shame and potential disownment. My reproductive status is none of their business.

If they're mature enough to be having sex and maybe get pregnant, then they're mature enough to use the morning after pill.

My only concern is the lack of research about this pill for girls at age 15. But the FDA has been wreckless in recent years, so they'll just let the public experiment until something goes wrong and then modify the drug policy, as usual.

Question is, are they mentally mature enough to be having sex? I hope we aren't hurting the next generation by assuming they are mentally mature enough.

We went from sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me to safe spaces.